Michelle Ann Amico

Michelle Ann Amico was appointed to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court in 2012 and hears civil, probate and criminal cases. She has been chief judge of the district since July 2018. Voters in Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, then all part of the Eighteenth Judicial District, retained her in 2020 with 75.06 percent of the votes cast on the question: 370,795 yes and 123,208 no.

Before her appointment she was a deputy district attorney and then a chief deputy district attorney in Denver. She earned a criminal justice degree from the University of Arizona in 1989 and a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1993. She is dean of new judge orientation and sits on statewide committees. The Colorado Judicial Institute named her its 2022 District Court Judge of the Year, and the Colorado Judicial Branch gave her its Excellence in Leadership Award in 2025.

The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 8 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with one member absent and one vacancy on the commission. The commission writes that survey respondents, "although low in response numbers, found no performance issues in any evaluation criteria."

The commission writes that she "treats everyone who appears before her with dignity, respect and impartiality." It says she "has a strong grasp of the law and issues understandable and well-reasoned rulings." It finds that she "manages her courtroom efficiently, is always prepared, affords participants opportunity to be heard and applies procedural rules and legal standards consistently, promoting fairness and predictability." On her work as chief judge, the commission "commends her ability to balance her judicial duties and vast administrative responsibilities while maintaining a high bar of excellence."